I think most people’s favourite time of year is springtime. The nights are lighter, the days feel warmer, and for me nothing says spring like Cow Turn Out. It might seem like a simple gesture, to open the barn doors and let the cows run free but you only have to see how happy they…
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I love fresh milk and everything you can make from it, which is why I’m so passionate about Free Range Dairy Network. It’s such a great product that, I often wondered, as you do – how long you could survive just on fresh milk? It seems you could survive for a long time on fresh…
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Right now, we’re all feeling a tight squeeze on our finances, and for many of us every penny counts. Which is why when we make a choice to support sustainable farming, we want to be confident that the increase in price relates to the claims made on the label. A lot of work goes on…
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A Christmas Carol is one of my favourite festive stories, centred around Ebenezer Scrooge, the selfish and unfriendly old man who hates everything about Christmas. I was lucky enough to see A Christmas Carol this weekend at the Old Vic. All the precautions were in place and after being cancelled last year, it was such…
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Dear All This hasn’t been an easy decision, but I am writing this post to inform you that I am resigning as a Director of Free Range Dairy Network, with effect from 31st October 2021. My journey with free range milk and the Pasture Promise logo began back in 2010, when I…
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After 10,000 years is the relationship between cows and humans coming to an end? Cattle are blamed for global warming, their products blamed for bad health, no longer seen as needed in our modern society. How has the cow become such a pariah? Agriculture and especially cows are being blamed for climate change but very…
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One of the top predicted global consumer trends for 2021 is Build Back Better and nowhere is this more apparent than in the food and farming sector and this is also why we’re joined the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) After the turbulent year we’ve been through, with concerns about health, the environment and climate change,…
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It’s the time of Spring Cow Turnout. A joyous occasion not just for the cows but everyone lucky enough to witness it. It puts a smile on your face, especially as we struggle through our own lockdown. We are all looking forward to our own turnout, to be able to gather outdoors with six people…
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Last April we conducted a survey with Censuswide UK (April 2020) we found that: 75.40% of people hope that British farmers can continue to produce fresh milk and dairy in the current crisis. 74.10% believe it is vital that we build strong local food networks to safeguard domestic food supplies. 68.30% say the Coronavirus pandemic…
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I want to make comment on the food giants marketing drive on Veganuary that is upon us again. I know it’s an emotive subject for some. I fully respect Veganism based on a view of the sacredness of all life, however, I struggle with some of the other reasons. Let me outline my concerns as…
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It seems impossible to record reflections on the year gone by without using phrases like “what a year it’s been”, or “let’s hope next year will be better”. I think nearly all of us will have said similar things during the past few months. 2020 is closing with 75% of people in England living under…
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The government has just announced outline plans for changes to the agricultural subsidy regime, post-Brexit and many are understandably concerned about what this will really mean for the future of UK food and farming. Following hot on the heels of the Agriculture Bill, which passed into law on November 11th, DEFRA have now published ‘The…
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Resilience might seem like the latest buzzword, it was previously used as a technical term to measure the ability of a substance to return to its usual shape after being bent, stretched, or pressed. Now it’s used to describe the ability to be happy, successful, again after something difficult or bad has happened. It might…
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There are many calls for farming and food production to become more sustainable. But making big changes to the way they farm is a risky business for producers. Choosing to reduce inputs, keep less stock on land and sell less tonnes of food will reduce farm incomes, unless people are willing to pay a price…
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This Saturday we will be taking over the Coffee House Project Instagram account at 12.45pm. For the last three years, we’ve been proud to partner with Cotteswold Dairy as the milk sponsors for Bristol’s Coffee Festival but this year, as with many other events, instead of being there we’ve had to get creative. Normally like…
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Like most people, farmers need a sense of purpose in their work and in their lives. For many this purpose has become little more than a need to pay the bills each month. This is particularly true when milk producers are paid price for their milk that barely covers the cost of production on farms.…
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Last week the Obesity Strategy was launched, in part because evidence shows being overweight remains one of the biggest risk factors in fighting Covid-19. Almost two-thirds (63%) of adults in England are overweight or obese and concerns have been raised that this may have contributed to the high number of coronavirus deaths in the UK.…
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144 people look likely to lose their jobs following Medina dairy’s decision to close the Watson’s Dairy site in Hampshire this week. According to reports, the final straw for Watson’s was the loss an important retail customer, thought to be Sainsbury’s. A statement from Medina Dairy said “The proposed closure reflects the extremely challenging…
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The Coronavirus pandemic has caused huge upheaval in the milk market and had a marked impact on the fortunes of local dairy farmers. Photos in newspapers of milk being tipped down the drain on farms, have appeared alongside empty milk aisles in the supermarkets. This has led anxious shoppers to seek out local suppliers and…
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Yesterday the newspapers were full of stories about how we’re now moving into the next phase of easing lockdown, and I have to wonder as we start to move towards ‘normal’ if the changes made during the pandemic will continue into the future? Almost straight away during lockdown we saw people adapt their shopping habits.…
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